Knowing the lord

Philippians 3:10, says: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

Knowledge is supposed to bring us to the place of positive awareness; howbeit, some have allowed themselves to be corrupted through knowledge. They have exposed themselves to all sort of evil exposures. Everything in life responses to hunger; it is only what you desire and crave for that you get.

There are several kinds of knowledge, but we will be dealing with experiential knowledge; and it is not knowing your friend or fellow human, but knowing the Lord Almighty.

Knowing God Entails The Following:
•The desire to know Him — pray to know; to encounter, to experience Him.
• Having a deep and clear encounter with God.
•Experiencing the power that resurrected Him — right in the grave there was this irresistible power that rested upon the grave; strong enough; powerful enough to open it and resuscitate the occupant.
• Experience resurrection yourself — the act of coming alive; bouncing back from set back.
• Partaking in daily communion and intimacy with Christ.
• Grasp the power of the suffering Christ.
• The essence of His suffering — it was the manual for victory — suffering here is beyond undergoing pain, distress or hardship to understanding and cultivating the ability to withstand challenges — what does not kill you can possibly make you.
• Understand the benefit of death – giving the flesh to loss sensitivity to realms of shadow and valueless attractions.
• Knowing and living in the circus of Jesus’ kind of death — an experience that ought to be endured if the throne and crown is to be gained.
• Knowing why He died — He paid the ultimate price to save that which was lost. Hosea, Chapter 14, is the shortest chapter in the book of Hosea. It has only nine verses that reflect God’s forgiveness, restoration, and the promise of a New Israel — God’s chosen and elect. It teaches lessons on repentance, forgiveness, restoration and new covenant.

Repentance: Israel is urged to return to God, confess their sins and abandon idolatry, which today is reflected in self-glorification and human worship.

Forgiveness: God promises to forgive Israel’s sins and heal their apostacyand backsliding.

Restoration: God promises to restore Israel and shower them with blessings.

New Covenant: The chapter brings to light the New Covenant that promises forgiveness of sins and replacement of animal sacrifice with the offering of the heart overflowing through the lips.

Why People Wonder Away From The Truth
In Hosea, Chapter 14:1, we saw God through the Prophet asking Israel to return to the Lord, hence they have fallen by iniquity. Sin, transgression and disobedient to God’s word and standard has a way of making people stray from the truth and fall. This is possible whenever man is yielding to the promptings of the flesh. The Prophet also understood that only God can take away all the iniquity of the children of Israel. The New Testament Apostle in Colossians 1:18-21 acknowledged that the fallen man is reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus on the cross. Those who sometimes were alienated and enemies of God in their thinking through their wicked works are made new creatures and God’s chosen people. Man must be careful of obeying what the flesh is saying; when people backslide it only makes them offer sacrifices to God devoid of genuine and acceptability.

Fallen Is Not Enough
God’s promises cannot be broken. The Lord resolved that He was going to heal the fallen Israel; why use the connotation of ailment? The backslider is, indeed, sick and deserve to be healed! When you have no power over your will to do what is right, it only shows that you are weak and not in charge of your life.

Despite man’s badness to God’s words, God has not give up on him. In Hosea 14:4, God promised to heal and love His people freely, even though they have fallen. God’s anger is never forever; God gets angry with us when we offend Him and forgives us when we acknowledge our sins and return to him. Sometimes, people judge our relationship with God based on their human nature, but the fact remains that our ways is not God’s way and our nature, not His nature. We judge wrongly, but He judges rightly.

Not even the judged understands God’s operational system when it comes to His dealing with man. Even in our fallen state God is still faithful and merciful.

Benefits Of Restoration
• The people who sat in darkness have seen great light (Isaiah 9:2).
• One who is alienated and enemy of God is reconciled (Col 1:21).
• He becomes unblameable and unreproveable in God’s sight (Col 1:22).
• They will no longer trust in the work of their own hands (Hosea 14:3).
• They will be loved of God freely (Hosea 14:4).
• God will make them fertile even in drought (Isaiah 14:5).
• They will prosper in all they do (Hosea 14:6).
• They will be protected and shielded by God (Hosea 14:7).
• They will no longer have interest in those things that interested them before (Hosea 14:8).
• Their knowledge about God will be deepened. The Lenten season is the season to intentionally deepen and better your walk with God; as I welcome you to this season.

• Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu is Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor (08035413812)